New councillor campaigns against police cuts (From Harrow Times)

Christine Robson promises to fight against cuts to policing

5:30pm Friday 22nd February 2013 in News By Jaber Mohamed

New councillor campaigns against police cuts

The new Labour councillor for the Harrow West ward has said she will campaign against police cuts.

Christine Robson was elected to Harrow Borough Council on Thursday after receiving 47.5 per cent of the votes, up by 7.5 per cent, with a majority of 281.

Cllr Robson is an NHS consultant child and adolescent psychotherapist with a grown up son who went to school in Harrow.

Following the count yesterday she said: “I’m very pleased to have won for Labour and I’m overwhelmed by the support of the people of West Harrow.

“I think the thing they are worried about is the police cuts, they have been a big issue.

“The police cuts are something that we all need to campaign against.

“To the people of Harrow West, all I can say is thank you, thank you for everything I will not let you down.”

Her Conservative opponent, Julia Merison, was the runner up and polled 761 votes, a 34.7 per cent share.

Conservative group leader Cllr Susan Hall said: “The result is obviously very disappointing, as I know how passionately Julia would have championed the interests of West Harrow residents."

Cllr Hall added that with three Labour councillors representing the ward, residents don’t have a local representative to stand up to Labour’s planned council tax increase and service cuts.

But the council's leader, Cllr Thaya Idaikkadar, said: “The people of West Harrow have spoken and agree with a small council tax increase in order to protect frontline services.”

The Liberal Democrat candidate Pash Nandhra received only 3.1 per cent of the vote - down from 19 per cent at the last election.

UKIP candidate Jeremy Zeid received 171 votes and Rowan Langley secured 96 votes for the Green Party.

Independent Herbert Crossman came last, winning only 53 votes.

A total of 2,195 votes were cast with four spoilt votes, representing a 28.5 per cent turnout.

Gareth Thomas, the Labour MP for the Harrow West constituency, said: “What this result suggests to us is that we now stand a strong chance of winning Harrow East back at the next election.”